Customer Reviews

Tinderbox: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Roots of Terrorism

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Even though this book is emotionally painful to read, I feel it is a must-read book for all Americans who want to understand what our government has been doing -- and continues to do -- in the Middle East (and other parts of the world) in our name and with our tax dollars.

It is a clear, concise, well-documented (30 pages of endnotes) and convincing exposition of U.S. foreign policy, particularly vis-a-vis the Middle East. It is not a difficult read at all. I think anyone of third-year high school (and certainly college) age or older would do fine with this book. You don't need a whole lot of background knowledge on the subject in order to understand what Zunes writes.

If you want to know "why they hate us" (although Zunes points out that most people abroad don't hate Americans per se; they hate the policies of our government), this is the book to read. I highly recommend it.

Tinderbox is the first book I know of that successfully integrates all aspects of today's Middle East problems: U.S. foreign policy, Iraq, Israel-Palestine, and Islamic terrorism. And Stephen Zunes does the job superbly. His new book is at the same time a readable journalistic effort--a page turner--as well as a scholarly political science and history work. This is combined journalism, political science, and history writing at its best. This is truly a landmark book on US-Middle East relations.

An important feature of this book is that most of its chapters are self-contained in the sense that they can be profitably read separately, like a handbook, without reading the whole book. For example, you can go to the chapter on The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and get an excellent 65-page up-to-date analysis of that subject.

The news and history as read in detail and at a distance from mainstream, from someone who follows the news carefully and meticulously.
What is the character of the world's only superpower? How does it relate to others? How does its actions influence behavior of other nations in the Middle East? How is it viewed by the United Nations' members?
A perspective to bring light on these traumatic and dangerous times. Should be required reading for any college history student and anyone wishing to understand the trends in the news.

Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy And The Roots Of Terrorism by Stephen Zunes (Associate Professor of Politics and Chair of the Peace & Justice Studies Program, University of San Francisco) is a informed and informative explanation and analysis of current U.S. policies in the Middle East, with a particular emphasis on their political shortcomings with respect to the rise of international terrorism and American national security. Specifically addressed is the critical question of whether or not American political policies with respect to the Middle Eastern nations have diminished or engendered terrorism? With an especial eye upon the September 11 attacks and their root causes, Tinderbox is a sharply worded, insightful, articulate analysis of politics and its deadly outcomes which is a welcome contribution to the national dialogue regarding the current "war on terrorism".

This is a great book if you want the real story on our foreign policy in the middle east. Schools in the U.S. should teach this kind of history, not the George Washington chopped down the cherry tree and couldn't tell a lie b.s. I would recomend reading this book if you are thinking of enlisting in the armed forces, or anybody else who wants to learn about the way we treat other countries.

Shatters the illusion that one political party has a better moral character than the other in the United States. Zunes demonstrates that both democrat and Republican administrations have contributed to the suppression of human rights abroad, and if anything have added more fuel to the fire to extremism through their shortsighted policy. This book was written just in the wake of the Iraq war, and every prediction he made came true. This book gives the reader an excellent context through which to interpret current events. You will never look at the news the same. Think hard before you buy this book though, because ignorance can be bliss.

Rather than being limited to one narrow focus (e.g. militarization; support for non-democratic regimes; Israel/Palestine) 'Tinderbox' dissects multiple facets of US foreign policy in the Middle East from a fairly complete historical perspective, demonstrating the author's point that US actions *in total* are a problem. It also mixes in international relations theory without becoming dry, producing a 'one-stop' item for those interested in the overall topic. Unfortunately it suffers from a jumpy progression and its slightly outdated nature (published in late 2002, it lacks any analysis of Gulf War II or Arafat's death).

This is a well-researched book but one that continually falls short in this regard in its conclusions. I grew tired of Zunes' tendency to lay out several interesting and underreported examples only to follow them with a sweeping conclusion generally unsubstantiated by theory or fact. Others may similarly dislike the author's habit of restating his points repeatedly in a short span of pages.

If you are already sympathetic to the view that the US has been short-sighted in its dealings with the Middle East, then this book may well provide you with new information and examples to develop a further nuanced view. If this does not describe you, I do not recommend a purchase as you'll probably grit your teeth too much at the style flaws. This is a shame since the topic is invaluable and the amount of evidence gathered is enormous.